THERE is a gun battle going on in Australia. As bikie gang members and drug dealers gun each other down on a regular basis, sending fear through the community, authorities seem to be fighting a losing battle to keep firearms out of their hands.

Without scaremongering, here are the facts:

* There have been 39 people shot in Sydney this year, most related to an ongoing bikie war.

* Conservative estimates say there are more than a quarter-of-a-million illegal firearms in Australia.

* Gun ownership in Australia is back at pre-Port Arthur massacre levels.
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